that means, we need to stop digging by electing mitt romney. >> reporter: the latest abc news/"washington post" poll shows the race for president is still very close, which means every word and gesture tonight could impact the election. brandi hitt, abc news, denver. >> thanks to brandi hitt. abc's coverage of tonight's debate begins at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific. >>> now, we turn to the trouble at american airlines. and actually progress on two fronts this morning. there is new movement in the bitter labor dispute between the airline and its pilots union. and also, the mystery of the seats that came loose during three, separate flights may have been solved. abc's tahman bradley is tracking all of the developments. good morning, tahman. that safety issue with those loose seats. what are we hearing now? >> reporter: well, rob, american airlines is now blaming the loose seats on clamps that were not installed properly. either by the airline's own crews or an outside contractor. the three incidents over the past week forced two emergency landings. and american scrambled to inspect its boeing